Apparatus for conditioning fluids



Sept. 4, 1934. B. P. LlENTz 1,972,099

A}?I:AR1 \T`US FOR CONDITIONING FLUIDS Filed May 9, 1928 4 sheets-sheet 1 I Og MGD I t@ I 0D -JL *Il SMQ.

l ATTORNEY Sept. 4, 1934. B. P. LIENTz l 1,972,099

I I v APPARATUS FOR CONITIQNING FLUIDS Y Filed May 9, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Be ver/)f P le/777.

A TToRNEY Sept. 4, 1934. B, P. LIENTZ 1,972,099

APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING FLUIDS Filed May 9, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

Bever/y P L /6/772.

A TTORNEY Sept.4, 1934. B. P. LlENTz 1,972,099

APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING FLUIDS A TTORNEY Patented sept. 4, 1934 Application May 9, 1928, Serial No. y276,282

1 o1aim.n(o1.,19s116)" My invention relates to an apparatus for oo nditioning fluids and more particularly to the cracking of hydrocarbon oils in stills.

With present types of oil still furnaces it is a practice to passa continuous stream'of oil through a heat zone maintained at a temperature high enough to bring about the desired degree of conversion of the,k oil and to retain the oil in the heat zone for such appreciable interval of l0' time as to effect its conversion. Under such practice the oil becomes overheated as a result of progressive increase of its temperature during its flow through the heat zone and is wasted by consumption. f

' It is the principal object of my invention tolso` control temperatures in the heat zone as to avoid losses due to overheating of theV oil, by quickly heating the oil to the proper temperature during the first part of its travel through the heat zone, 20"

and then maintaining the temperature of the oil stream substantially constant during the remainder of its travel through the still.'

In practicing my invention I have provided improved details of furnace structure, the preferred Aforms of which are illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal, Vertical, sectional View through a furnace embodying my invention, on the line 1 1, Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional vertical view through the furnace on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the furnace, the roof of one of the burner compartments being broken f ,g away to illustrate the fresh air duct through which air is supplied for supporting combustion. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View through the furnace on the line 4-4, Fig. 1.

Referring more in detail .to the drawings: 1-2 designate side walls and 3--4 end walls -of a furnace of Dutch oven type enclosing a central heating chamber 5 covered by a roof 6 and combustion chambers 7 and 8 at the vends of the heating chamber, the latter formed by extending the lower portions of the side walls and the furnace. The coils may be of any preferredl type but are here shown as straight sections, the ends of which extendinto recesses 15 formed in the end walls and there connected by return bend ttings 16 to ,form a continuous coil, the fittings being accessible through suitable doors 17 covering the recesses.

Similarly supported by the end walls above the bank of coils 14 and spaced therefrom, as at 18, is a second bank of coils 19, similar to the first bank, but `preferably of greater number,-

with the lower coilv of the upper bank connected with the lower coil of the lower bank, sothat oil subjected to an intensel heat applied to the lower coils may be quickly brought to the required temperature and then passesv to the upper bank where it ,is maintained at a constant temperature, as presently described, the coils being of such combined length as to insure proper conditioning of the oil during'its travel through theA furnace.V

Located at kthe outer endsl ofthe combustion chambers '7 and 8 are arches 20',v which extend across the chambers and are supported from the iioor 12 by checkered walls 21 toV provide air chambers 22 between the checkered kwalls 21 and the end walls of the furnace, the arches extending inwardly over the walls 21 to provide mixing chambers 23 which open into the combustion chambers.

Extending transversely below the air chambersv 22 and opening thereinto through ports 24 are air supply conduits 25 connected through underground, passageways 26 and ducts 27 with a preheater 28 (Fig. 3), through which air is drawn by motor operated fans 29 and delivered to the air chambers for supplying oxygen to burners 30. The burners may be of any preferred construction including nozzles 31 which project through the checker work of the walls 21 so that fuel from the nozzles and air issuing through the checker work from the air chamber are mixed and consumed in the combustion chambers.

Products of combustion pass upwardly from the chambers 7 and 8 through the heating chamber 5 over the heating coils 14 and 19 and are discharged through a plurality of vertical flues 32 in the roof 6 of the heating chamber into a longitudinal manifold 33 supported on the furnace roof. Some of the spent gases are dis.- charged from the manifold into a pipe 34 leading from about the middle of the manifold and extending laterally and downwardly therefrom to discharge into a horizontal tunnel 35 through which they are conducted to a stack 36. The preheater 28 is projected into the tunnel so that fresh air passed therethrough on its way to the mixing chamber is conditioned rfor supported combustion.

A major port-ion of the products of combustion entering the manifold is, however, conducted back to the chamber 5 for recirculation to save its content of heat units and for the further purpose presently described.

' Opening laterally from opposite sides and ad.- jacent the ends of the manifold 33 are return conduits 37 which extend downwardly near each corner of the furnace to connection with fan housings 38, mounted on concrete bases 39 and having discharge pipes Ll2 leading to tunnels 43 which extend beneath the furnace floor adjacent the discharge ends of the combustion chambers '7 and 8.

Each of the tunnels has ports lle opening into a channel formed in the furnace iioor slightly within the mouth of its relative combustion chan ber so that the returned gases passing therethrough are discharged into the 'combustion chamber to co-rningle with fresh products of combustion andrecirculate through 'the heating chamber.

Fans (not shown) contained wit in the housing are Voperated through shafts 46 from electric motors 47 to draw the gases from the vmanifold and discharge them into the heating chamber, flow ofthe gases being regulated by dampers 48 located in the pipes 42 adjacent the inlet of the tunnels, as best shown in Fig. 2.

yWith the structure thus vfar described, prod.- ucts of combustion passed through lboth banks of j coils would progressively heat the coils and should the temperature of the gases be sufficient to crack the oilI in the lower bank, then there would be overheating in the upper bank with resultant loss in product.

To insure heatingv of the oil to cracking temper-y vent their overheating the oil in the upper bank of coils.

Such currents of cooler gases preferably consist of products of combustion supplied through conduits 49 leading from the conduits 42 to horizontal manifolds 50 extending along the side walls exteriorly to the furnace and having short lateral discharge pipes 51 extending into openings 52 in the side walls of the furnace, which communicate with the space between the banks of coils, so that gases are delivered from the manifolds into the space 18 and across the line of iiow of the heating gases for the purposes before mentioned. v

Volume of iiow of the cooling gases may be regulated to control temperature of the heating gases by a damper 53 in the conduit and a damper 54 in the pipe l2 adjacent the fan discharge, the damper 53 serving to control the minor flow of cooling gases to the manifold and the damper 54 to control the major flow to both the manifold and heating chamber.

With the furnace described I-am able to quickly heat the oil to cracking temperature land maintain the 'heat yfor a sufficienttime interval for properly conditioning the oil without overheating, and toV adjust the temperatures to the requirernents for treating different oils.-

I have found a furnace'constructed as illustrated and described Well adapted for practice cf the invention but do not wish to be limited to it in'detail, and while I have -referred to the cooling gases asproducts of combustion, other gases or atmospheric air may be usedv for controlling temperature of the heating gases without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What claim. and desire tov secure by Letters Patentisi j 'n Apparatus for heatling'hydrocarbon oil including- 'a heating chamber having a `horizontal series ofwall ports, and a combustion chamber in coinniunication with lthejlower portion of the heating chamber beneath said ports, connected banks of heating c'oilsfi'n the heating chamber. located respectively above and below the series of'wa'll ports, means for. supplying iiuid to be heated to, the lower bank of coils fory flow successively through the respective banks,..and.means.for returningspent gases through said ports v'to the space in thefheating chamber between the banks of coils. f

BEVERLY P. LIENTZ.

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